February 2011 Archives

City Council members Gary DeLong and Robert Garcia flew to Washington, D.C., today to lobby for Long Beach issues. They'll return Wednesday. They are there to get support for federal projects such as the East San Pedro Bay Ecosystem Restoration Study, also known as the Breakwater reconfiguration project; appropriations for the restoration of the Colorado Lagoon; and federal transportation dollars. They are also lobbying against cuts to the Community Development Block Grant program and the Federal Workforce Investment Act, they said.

Follow Garcia on Twitter to get updates on their lobbying efforts.

Following is the council members' press release from last week about their trip:

Long Beach City Councilmembers Gary DeLong and Robert Garcia will travel to Washington, D.C. on Monday, February 28 to meet with local members of Congress, House and Senate staff, the Army Corps of Engineers and officials in the Obama Administration.  The Councilmembers will return to Long Beach on Wednesday, March 2.

DeLong is chair of the Federal Legislative Committee, and Garcia is the Vice-Chair.  Both members will advocate on behalf of the city's Federal Legislative Agenda, which includes support for Federal projects like the East San Pedro Bay Ecosystem Restoration Study, appropriations for the restoration of the Colorado Lagoon, and Federal Transportation dollars.

Both Councilmembers will also be lobbying against cuts to the Community Development Block Grant Program and the Federal Workforce Investment Act.  Both programs are extremely important for the creation of jobs and to stimulate the local economy.

"I am looking forward to meeting with our Congressional delegation to discuss the issues that are important to Long Beach," said Councilmember Gary DeLong. "Federal support for the Colorado Lagoon is extremely important as we move towards restoring this citywide asset."

"Long Beach has stepped up to support the Long Beach Breakwater and Ecosystem Restoration study, and now it's time for Washington to do the same," said Councilmember Robert Garcia.  "Cleaning our water and restoring our shore will transform our coastline and be an economic boon to the city."

DeLong and Garcia are scheduled to meet with Congressmembers Linda Sanchez, Laura Richardson and Dana Rohrabacher, as well as staff from Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer, the Army Corps of Engineers, House and Senate Appropriations staff, and Administration Officials.

Last week, KPCC's Patt Morrison was in Long Beach to record a discussion with health experts and residents about the effects of pollution from the Port of Long Beach.

Listen to the interview here.

This year is also the Port's 100th anniversary, and the Press-Telegram released a commemorative magazine on Sunday delving into its history, its future and its impact on the area. One of the issues that I looked at was the very one addressed by Morrison - how port pollution and future growth affect the community. Read the article here.

Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Long Beach, released a statement at the end of last week about the death of former Congressman Steve Horn. Richardson's statement is below.

One cannot live in Long Beach and discuss the politics of the past, present or future, without hearing the name Congressman Steve Horn.  In the coming days, there will be many tributes by many people to Mr. Horn that will reference his very well deserved accolades and accomplishments. But my thoughts today come from the perspective of one who has been trying to fill his big shoes as a Member of Congress representing much of his former District.

Congressman Horn did not set his sights on Washington D.C. for power or fame.  Congressman Horn came to the Capitol with students on his mind, the arts in his heart and the goal of creating better cooperation with his hands.

Rep. Horn came to Congress with his wife Nina and together they worked to bring a new standard of public service to Washington D.C. and California.  Congressman Horn was an outspoken advocate for our community and he connected on a personal level with his District by writing memorable letters and op-eds and through his fierce commitment to addressing the casework needs of his most deserving constituents.

But most of all, Congressman Steve Horn came and left as a gentleman.... one who earned the respect of us all.

The city of Long Beach recently released a report on its bike programs and projects as officials strive to make this town "the most bicycle-friendly city in America."

Check out the report here.

Long Beach City Councilman Gary DeLong released a statement this week following the council's declaration Tuesday of an impasse in contract negotiations with the city's engineers union. Basically, he says that the council will take the same action with Long Beach's eight other employee associations if they don't agree to pension reforms.

However, it's not that simple. Only the engineers have an open contract, which is what it takes to declare impasse. A few others have contracts that expire at the end of September, but some of the biggest and most expensive unions' contracts have years to go -- the Police Officers Association's contract is up in 2014, for example.

Read DeLong's statement below:

On Tuesday, February 1st, the Long Beach City Council took a significant step towards reducing future pension costs. After many rounds of negotiation over an extended period of time, the City formally declared negotiations at an impasse and will move forward to unilaterally implement reduced pension benefits for new employees of the Long Beach Association of Engineering Employees (LBAEE).

Pension benefits will be reduced from the existing 2.5% per year of service, retirement age 55, based on highest year salary to 2.0% per year of service, retirement age 60, based on three year salary average. Additionally, new employees will pay their full 8% of payroll contribution to CalPERS.

In 2001 and 2002 Long Beach increased pension benefits, thereby creating an unsustainable pension system. General Fund pension costs have grown from $6 million in FY2003 to $46 million in FY2010. This expense growth has resulted in fewer Police Officers, fewer Firefighters and fewer services for Long Beach residents. And without significant change, it will only get worse.

As a result of Tuesday's vote, the City Council has demonstrated that we are determined to roll back pension benefits to what they were before they were generously increased in 2001. The City is close to approving agreements which include a reduced pension tier for several additional unions within the next few weeks; however, our largest unions (Police, Fire and IAM) currently appear to be unwilling to accept these changes.

It appears these unions would prefer to have fewer employees and reduced service levels rather than be our partner in meaningful change.

While I hope that every Long Beach employee labor union will realize the necessity of this action and will willingly agree to these reduced pension benefits, I have no doubt the City Council will impose these reductions if unable to obtain the changes through normal negotiation processes.

Furthermore, it is likely that the City will take the position that we will not hire any additional public safety employees until reduced pension benefits are in place. It doesn't make financial sense to add more employees to a broken pension system. Fortunately we have an outstanding Police Department which just achieved a year of record crime reductions, and a top-notch Fire Department with a well-deserved reputation of excellence. Both of these organizations have met the challenge of "doing more with less" and have the leadership in place to provide the best possible service with the funds they are allocated.

The days of exempting Public Safety unions are over. With 2/3 of the City's General Fund budget allocated to Police and Fire services, and over 80% of the General Fund associated with labor cost, there simply isn't any other choice. The only question remaining is whether we will proactively solve our pension problem or kick the can down the road as long as possible.

If we don't solve the problem now and allow it to continue to grow, it is likely municipalities will move away from defined benefit programs in favor of defined contribution programs, as well as seek legal remedies to modify pension benefits for existing employees.